ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com